SIT chargesheets 10 Muslim leaders in Muzaffarnagar riots case

Muzaffarnagar: The Special Investigation Team, which is probing the Muzaffarnagar riots has named Bahujan Samaj Party MP Kadir Rana, two party MLAs and former Uttar Pradesh minister Saeed-uz-Zama of Congress among 10 others in its chargesheet for provoking communal tension with inflammatory speeches during a panchayat of Muslim community.

The chargesheet was filed in the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate Narender Kumar by the SIT on Friday in connection with the alleged hate speeches made in Khalapar locality of the city on August 30, 2013 by the accused in defiance of prohibitory orders clamped following tension in Kawal village in the district, sources said.

Apart from Rana, the others chargesheeted are BSP MLA from Charthawal Noor Saleem Rana, party MLA from Miranpur Maulana Jamil, Congress leader Saeed-uz-Zama, his son Salman Saeed, city board member Asad Zama Ansari, ex-member of the city board Naushad Qureshi, trader Ahsan Qureshi, Sultan Mushir and Naushad, they said.

They have been charged with violating prohibitory orders and inciting communal tension by making inflammatory speeches.

The development came even as the UP government had in January moved to withdraw cases related to riots against the Muslim leaders with the Law Ministry seeking report from district authorities, which were understood to be not in favour of such a step.

Rana had left Samajwadi Party in 2007 to join Rashtriya Lok Dal and then switched to BSP in 2009.